Sunday, June 25, 2017

Act as per rules: L-G Baijal to vigilance secy on plea against Kejriwal in ‘PWD scam’

Hindustan Times: New Delhi: Sunday, June 25, 2017.
The cases were registered on the complaint of Rahul Sharma, founder of Road Anti Corruption Organization (RACO) who used RTI documents to get bills submitted by Bansal’s firm related to a construction work in north west Delhi’s Bakoli village.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has asked the principal secretary (vigilance) to take necessary action as per rules in a plea seeking prosecution sanction against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in an alleged PWD scam.
The development comes in wake of an application filed at the L-G’s office on June 7 by Rahul Sharma, seeking prosecution sanction against Kejriwal and the executive engineer (PWD) under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the alleged PWD scam pertaining to three FIRs.
“A representation dated June 7, 2017 from Rahul Sharma, (Founder), RACO, Ghonda, Delhi, has been sent for necessary action as per rules,” the L-G’s special secretary R N Sharma said in a written communication to principal secretary (vigilance) Ashwani Kumar.
Last month, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had filed three separate FIRs on a complaint filed by Sharma, founder of Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), alleging irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines in Delhi in 2015-16.
One of the FIRs was registered against the company of Kejriwal’s late brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal. The Delhi CM has not been named in any of the FIRs.
Being a serving chief minister, the prosecuting agencies need to get prior sanction of the Lieutenant Governor before it could formally begin a probe against Kejriwal, officials said.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh condemned the direction, saying L-G was allegedly acting on the behest of the BJP. The AAP leader argued that no evidence has been provided by Sharma against the chief minister in his complaint.
“Rahul Sharma files frivolous complaints against AAP on a regular basis. Now he has sought prosecution sanction against the chief minister though he has no connection with the case whatsoever,” Ashutosh said.